Kevin and the Gang: In-Between, Episode 2 - Mikey's Girl
by J-R Virtual Seasons
Summary: November 2000: Sparks fly when Eduardo and Kylie open up their new apartment to Kevin and the gang for Ella's birthday. With a lovers' tiff threatening to divide the group, Kevin looks to his most trusted confidant for advice.


Kevin, Oscar, Michael, Lucy and Jandro had squeezed themselves onto unmatching chairs and a sofa around an old coffee table, which had a collection of wrapped gifts on it and Ella kneeling beside it, wearing a cone-shaped party hat held on by elastic. Pagan was there too, nestling lengthways in the valley of Jandro's thighs.

'Open mine first,' said Michael, pushing a badly wrapped little box across the coffee table.

'Okay,' said Ella. 'I like the Disney Princess paper, Mikey. Somehow I can't see you walking up to the counter and buying it!'

'Well, I did,' said Michael. 'I'd do anything for you, babe. Open it!'

'Ooh, I think it's jewellery!' said Jandro, as Ella fought her way through layers of uneven sticky tape to reveal a blue box with gold trim.

'Open it, open it!' said Michael.

'All right,' said Ella, looking briefly annoyed, but when the box snapped open on its hinge her expression softened. 'Oh, Mikey, it's beautiful!'

'What it is?' Jandro asked eagerly.

'It's a charm bracelet,' said Ella.

'Yeah, check it out!' said Michael, sliding off the sofa and pointing clumsily at the delicate silver charms. 'That's those two dogs you like...'

'Pongo and Perdita,' said Ella.

'Yeah, and that's that crab from _The Little Mermaid_...'

'Sebastian,' Kevin supplied.

'And that's that insect thing in that one with the fox and the old guy and stuff.'

'Who?' said Oscar.

'Somebody from _The Fox and the Hound_?' asked Lucy.

'Or _Robin Hood_?' Jandro suggested.

'Jiminy Cricket,' said Eduardo's voice from the doorway, 'from _Pinocchio_. Right, Ella?'

'Um, yeah,' said Ella, blushing and giggling and hastily removing her party hat with a loud snap of elastic. 'That's right.'

Michael scowled deeply.

'I just came to see if you guys wanted any more Sunny D,' said Eduardo.

'Ooh, I do!' said Jandro.

'Yeah, I could go for some more,' said Lucy.

'Let's all have some,' said Kevin, jumping to his feet and gathering into his arms an odd collection of used mugs and glasses from the floor. 'I'll get it, Uncle Eduardo.' He followed Eduardo through to the kitchen, saying, 'I didn't know you were such a Disney buff.'

'I think I'm just good at understanding Michael,' said Eduardo. He nodded to the cups and glasses as Kevin arranged them on the kitchen surface. 'You remember whose is whose?'

'Of course,' said Kevin. 'It's not too hard with these. Having matching kitchenware is so overrated.'

'You really mean that, right?' said Eduardo. 'You're not just making fun?'

'Of course I mean it. I think buying an apartment together and then having to fill it with other people's cast-offs is incredibly romantic.'

'Well,' said Eduardo, smiling, 'you're right about that.'

Kevin looked up from pouring out Sunny Delight, and said, 'I guess you want us to clear out when Kylie gets back, huh?'

'Of course not,' said Eduardo. ' _Mi casa es tu casa,_ Kev. You know that.'

'Yeah?' Kevin grinned. 'Don't you mean, _mi casa es vuestra casa_?'

'Absolutely not,' said Eduardo. 'You're welcome to have friends over here, but only _tú_ can come and go as you please. Speaking of which, here's your present for Ella's birthday.'

So saying, Eduardo reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, which he placed into Kevin's hand.

'Wow,' said Kevin. 'Are you sure about this?'

'Of course,' said Eduardo. 'I know you won't abuse the privilege.'

'Uncle Eduardo, I... I'm really touched!'

'Oh, it's not anything. This ain't even our forever home, probably.'

'It's not?' said Kevin. 'You can't have decided that already. You've only just moved in here!'

'I know,' said Eduardo, 'but it's only what they call a starter home. I think it only has a few square feet on your dad's garage! I mean, it's great for now, but we'll have to get someplace bigger if we ever have a baby or something.'

'A baby?' said Kevin. 'Oh, wouldn't that be nice! Do you _want_ to have a baby?'

'Well,' said Eduardo, 'maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but –'

'Soon?' Kevin grinned.

'No,' Eduardo grinned back, 'but someday, if Kylie's up for it. Now, where did you put that tray for your Sunny D?'

'Oh, I left it in the living room,' said Kevin. 'Now I'll have to go all the way back across the hall and get it! We never had that problem in your last place, did we?'

Kevin, in high spirits, went smiling and bouncing into the hallway, then through into the living room. At once, his face fell. He could see that Michael and Ella were engaged in an argument while Lucy and Oscar were exchanging awkward glances. Jandro was distracted by Pagan kneading him painfully.

'I am not being a jerk!' said Michael. 'It's just because... because... he's too old for you!'

'That's precisely why he isn't a threat!' said Ella. 'And anyway, even if he was, it's up to me, not you! And it's _not_ just because he's too old – you're always warning guys off me! You even did it to Kev when we first met him!'

'Yeah, well, when a guy gives a girl his jacket –'

'She has to _accept_ the jacket, and anything else the guy offers her! I make my own decisions, Mike – you don't own me! This girl's a person, y'know!'

At this point, Ella's voice reached sufficient volume to bring Eduardo in from the kitchen. Pagan saw him, flopped down onto Jandro's lap and looked, as he thought, subtly over to see whether Eduardo were jealous. For some moments the only sound in the room was a deep, rumbling purr.

'Want your dinner, Pagan?' Eduardo said at last. Pagan looked contrary and snuggled deeper into Jandro's lap, so Eduardo went back to the kitchen, from whence came the sound of a tin being opened.

'Ow, Jesus!' said Jandro, as Pagan sprang from his lap. 'Wow, that cat can make you feel like a million dollars, or really hurt you. I wonder if they ever considered getting him de-clawed.'

'Kylie would never do that,' said Kevin. 'He didn't do a number on your nice white jeans, did he?'

'I think they're okay,' said Jandro, examining his lap. Then he looked up. 'Oh, Ella, you're not leaving? You haven't opened all of your presents!'

'I'm sorry, guys,' said Ella. 'Maybe you can give them to me at school tomorrow, but right now I have to go.'

So saying, she zipped her coat up firmly and stalked from the room. There was another silence, then Michael fell to his knees and picked something up from the ground. It was the Disney charm bracelet he had given to Ella.

Eduardo walked in and said, 'Do the rest of you still want that Sunny D?'

'You _have_ to want it – I've poured it out,' Kevin told his friends.

'Of course we want it, Eduardo,' said Lucy, smiling politely. 'Thank you.'

Eduardo scanned the room, then walked over to the sofa and picked up a china tray with a faded flower pattern that was leaning against the side. Again, there was silence.

'What are we gonna do about Michael?' Oscar said at length.

Lucy, Kevin and Jandro all looked at Michael, then at each other, and shrugged.

Eduardo came in with the tray bearing six vessels of strawberry Sunny Delight, placed this on the coffee table, seated himself in the armchair Kevin had previously been using, and said, 'I guess I'll have Ella's.' He looked at Michael, who was almost crying over the bracelet in his hands. 'So, what can we do to help?'

'You?' said Michael, glaring at Eduardo. 'You've done enough! This is all your fault!'

'Hey!' said Kevin. 'Don't talk to him like that!'

'It's not even true,' added Lucy. 'Not even a little.'

'Fine!' said Michael. 'I see how it is. Well, I'm not staying where I'm not wanted.'

As he was storming out, there came a few sounds of struggle from the hallway, then Kylie came into the room asking, 'What's with him?'

'A lovers' tiff,' said Eduardo. 'Come and have his Sunny Delight, Ky. I'm having Ella's.'

Kevin, Oscar, Jandro and Lucy all selected their own cup or glass from the selection on the coffee table, then Kylie and Eduardo took the two that remained. As Kylie sat down on the arm of Eduardo's chair, Pagan came running in licking his lips, then snuggled up with Eduardo and watched Kylie for signs of jealousy.

* * *

Ella received the rest of her birthday presents in homeroom the next morning, with Michael watching from a few desks away.

'This one's from Oscar,' said Kevin, handing over a very small parcel, which Ella proceeded to open.

'Aww, hon!' said Ella. 'How did he know I needed Squirtle for my key chain collection?'

'Oh,' Kevin said airily, 'word gets around.'

'Um, Ella?' said Michael, shuffling over to her as she hooked Squirtle onto her keys. 'I'm sorry about yesterday. Can I give you the bracelet back now?'

'Well,' said Ella, as the others backed discreetly away, 'I guess so. But I hope you know why you're apologising, Michael.'

'It's because I love you,' said Michael.

'Oh, Mikey,' said Ella, her expression softening as she fastened the bracelet onto her wrist. 'Okay, that's enough of that – where's the rest of my presents?'

'Open mine,' said Jandro, stepping forward with his offering. 'It's the biggest.'

'That doesn't mean it's the best,' said Ella, taking it from him with a smile, and tearing off the balloon-themed wrapping paper. 'Oh wow, thanks, Jandro – it's a Pikachu, um...'

'It's bubble bath!' grinned Jandro.

'Bubble bath?' said Michael, frowning deeply. 'Dude, do you really think you should be getting a girl bubble bath if she's not your girlfriend?'

Ella frowned at him. 'Michael, what the hell?'

'Well, sure, I think it's okay,' said Jandro. 'When I was buying that, I got some Lisa Simpson bubble bath to give my sister for Christmas.'

'I don't mean your sister, man!' said Michael. 'You wouldn't give bubble bath to Lucy, would you?'

'Well, I don't know,' said Jandro, considering. 'I don't think Lucy really likes anything that they've made into novelty bubble bath.'

'That is not the point!' said Michael.

'You're right about _that_ , Michael Conway!' said Ella, tearing the Disney bracelet from her wrist and storming from the room.

'Oh no – where's she going _now_?' said Lucy. 'She'll be marked as absent!'

'I guess she's too mad to care,' said Kevin, looking at Michael. 'Dude, you _can_ see what she's upset about, can't you?'

'No,' said Michael. 'I mean, how would she feel if a girl gave me... I don't know... aftershave or something?'

'She probably wouldn't care,' said Lucy, 'and even if she did, Pikachu bubble bath isn't really the same, is it?'

'I just thought it'd be fun,' Jandro said apologetically.

'None of this is your fault, Jandro,' said Lucy, as she stooped to pick up Ella's bracelet. 'Oh look, Michael, she broke the clasp this time.'

'She did?' Michael scowled. 'Well, that was a little extreme – now I'll have to find the money to fix it.'

'The question is,' said Lucy, 'does Ella _want_ you to fix it?'

* * *

At recess, Kevin found himself leaning on the wall outside the girls' bathroom. He looked up when Catherine and Stephanie paused on their way in through the door beside him, giggling, and Stephanie said, 'What're you doing?'

'Waiting for Lucy,' said Kevin, 'who's looking for Ella.'

'I just saw Ella behind the sports pavilion,' said Catherine.

'You did?' said Kevin. 'That's great! Thanks, Catherine.'

'I'll tell Lucy,' said Catherine, as she made her way into the bathroom.

Moments later, Lucy came out and said, 'I take it from Catherine that we have to go _all_ the way down to the sports pavilion. I don't think we're gonna have time to get down there, talk to Ella and then get all the way back up to math. Maybe we should just leave her to herself.'

'But she's upset,' said Kevin. 'You'd go looking for me if I was upset, wouldn't you?'

'Oh, all right, let's go,' said Lucy, and they began walking down the corridor. 'But I don't think she's exactly suicidal, Kev.'

They made their way down the huge staircase on the grassy hill that led to the sports fields and pavilion. They walked around the pavilion until they found Ella in the darkest recess, just sitting there on the ground.

'Are you coming to math, Ella?' asked Lucy. 'It's almost time.'

'I hate math,' said Ella. 'Why should I climb up all those stairs for it?'

'Well,' said Kevin, 'Michael doesn't like math either – maybe you could both skip it and talk to each other. He's very upset, you know.'

Ella looked up sharply, her eyes shooting daggers. 'So am I very upset!'

'I can see that,' said Kevin. 'You're _both_ upset.'

'We're worried about you,' added Lucy. 'We were wondering if there was anything we could do to help.'

'I don't think so, Luce,' said Ella. 'I just need to try to think what I'm going to do. I mean, this isn't the first time he's screwed up, and I don't think this is something he can fix – it's just the way he is.'

'Do you mean you want to break up with him for good?' said Kevin, aghast.

'I don't know!' said Ella. 'You know how I feel about him, but if he's going to go on treating me like his own personal property...'

Kevin was clearly at a loss for something to say, so he looked at Lucy. He saw that she was hopping impatiently from foot to foot.

'I want to go to math, Kev,' she said.

'All right, go to math,' said Kevin with a sigh. 'I'm going to stay and talk to Ella.'

'Maybe,' said Ella, 'Ella doesn't _want_ you to stay and talk to her.'

'Well, I'm not just gonna leave you sitting here in the shadows.'

'I'll see you guys later,' said Lucy, and ran off towards the stairs. Kevin sat down on the ground beside Ella.

'Maybe we can make Michael see what he's doing wrong,' he said, 'and then he'll fix it, and there'll be no more talk of you guys breaking up.'

'You can't just change someone, Kev,' said Ella.

'You can help someone to see their faults and try to fix them,' said Kevin. 'Like my dad, for instance – he's really come a long way lately.'

'Well,' said Ella, 'I take it your dad _wants_ to fix his faults. Do you think Michael wants to fix his?'

'I'm sure he does,' said Kevin, 'if it means not losing you.'

'He has to want it for himself as well,' said Ella. 'Maybe I'll give him another chance, but I'm not gonna just walk up to him making demands and make _myself_ unreasonable. If he wants to fix this, he has to come to me and apologise, and know _why_ he's apologising. I don't know if you noticed, but when he tried it in homeroom earlier, he didn't even seem to know what he'd done wrong!'

'Yeah, I know what you mean,' said Kevin. 'I wonder if he'll really be able to do what you want. I'd like to help, but I don't want to act like a sanctimonious ass, just going up to my friends and telling them what they're doing wrong and how to fix it when they haven't even asked me.'

'You and Lucy came up to me like that.'

'We weren't telling you what to do – we just wanted to check you were okay.'

'Well in that case,' said Ella, getting to her feet, 'that was nice of you. Come on – maybe we'd better go to math. I bet Michael won't even be there.'

* * *

On Tuesday night, Kevin was back at Eduardo and Kylie's apartment, watching the end credits of _Angel_ with Eduardo and Pagan. When the sequence had quite finished, Eduardo turned off the television and VCR, saying, 'I thought that one was pretty stupid – hardly worth taping it!'

'I don't think Wesley should've had sex with Virginia without confessing that he wasn't really Angel,' said Kevin. 'That's emotional rape.'

'Well,' said Eduardo, 'it _was_ Wesley she was attracted to – she never even actually _saw_ Angel. It was only really the name she had wrong.'

'I don't know,' said Kevin. 'He should've been honest about who he was. I mean, she thought he was a vampire. Not only that – she thought there was a danger he'd lose his soul when they had sex, and he didn't correct her! That is _not_ being honest.'

'Y'know,' said Eduardo, 'that bothers me... people thinking that, I mean. Why don't they understand he lost his soul because he and Buffy were in love? It makes such a difference.'

'Yeah, that kinda bugs me too,' said Kevin. 'And while we're at it, I wasn't crazy about that _Buffy_ episode either. Spike punching Tara in the face didn't _really_ prove she wasn't a demon; it activated his chip because it's psychosomatic.'

'Oh, yeah, I guess you're right,' said Eduardo. 'Still, it's better than season four.'

'Well, that's not hard.'

'But at least back then they aired on the same night! It's really annoying, having to tape _Angel_ every week.'

'If that's your worst problem,' said Kevin, 'you're pretty lucky, Uncle Eduardo.'

'Yeah, I guess I am,' said Eduardo. 'Do you mean you have a problem you want to talk about?'

'It's not me; it's Michael and Ella.'

'Oh. Didn't they make up in the end?'

'No. Well, yes,' said Kevin, 'but then they fell out again right away. The last two days of school have been a nightmare! Ella's mad at Michael for being too possessive, and Michael's mad at pretty much all of us, especially Jandro for giving Ella bubble bath for her birthday, and Jandro feels terrible about it. We've all tried to tell him he shouldn't; I mean, it's not like it's marketed as aphrodisiac bubble bath or something. It's shaped like Pikachu!'

'Tell Jandro they'd still have this problem whether he gave Ella Pikachu bubble bath or not,' said Eduardo. 'It's been pretty obvious since I met him that Michael has a problem he probably should fix, or he's gonna lose that girl.'

'That's what _I_ think,' said Kevin, 'and I'm sure the others can see it too, but nobody wants to be the one to tell Michael.'

'Bring him here if you want,' said Eduardo. ' _I'll_ tell him.'

' _You'll_ tell him?' said Kevin. 'Do you, um... do you think that would work?'

'I'll do it in the nicest possible way,' said Eduardo. 'I know what to say because I understand where he's coming from.'

'You do? How? You're not jealous and possessive.'

'I'm glad to hear it, but I think I know why Michael acts that way with Ella. With some people, it's just because they're jerks and control freaks, but that's not him, is it?'

'Well,' said Kevin, 'no, as it turns out. So you're saying it comes from a good place?'

'Yes,' said Eduardo, 'or at least, not a _bad_ place. He's obviously afraid of losing her. We know he's insecure, or he wouldn't have introduced himself at junior high by trying to bully everybody. He can't think all that much of himself, so he's afraid that someday Ella will find somebody better.'

'You know what?' said Kevin. 'When I first went to his apartment to work on that geography project, he was convinced Ella was about to dump him because she hadn't insisted on him being in her group.'

'Wow,' said Eduardo. 'I can see why he thinks bubble bath is a big deal if _that_ bothered him. I'll tell you what, Kev – bring him here tomorrow at lunch. You can let yourself in, and I'll get us some KFC or something, and then we can all have a nice heart-to-heart.'

* * *

'Dude,' said Michael, as he and Kevin approached Eduardo and Kylie's apartment, 'you're really weirding me out. Isn't this your uncle's place?'

'Yes,' said Kevin.

'Why'd you bring me here?'

'Because Eduardo wants to talk to you.'

'Okay, so why didn't you _tell_ me you were bringing me here?'

'Because I didn't think you'd come,' said Kevin. 'I get the impression you don't like Eduardo very much.'

'Oh, I don't know,' said Michael. 'He actually seems kind of cool. What I don't like is when Ella starts crushing on him.'

'And why is that, Mike?' asked Kevin, pausing with his hand on the door to the apartment block.

'Because she's my girlfriend, of course.'

'But she's gonna have crushes – everybody does. I'll bet _you_ have them, right?'

Michael scowled. 'What does that have to do with anything?'

'Well, it... you... never mind,' said Kevin. 'I'm not the right person to be talking to you about this. Let's go in.'

They made their way up to the apartment, where they found Eduardo trying to keep Pagan's nose out of a bucket of fried chicken.

'Just in time,' said Eduardo. 'Sit down – help yourselves. I got more Sunny D if you want it.'

'I'll get it,' said Kevin, and went to do just that.

'Kev said you wanted to talk to me,' Michael said guardedly, as he sat down on the sofa and helped himself to a piece of chicken.

'I thought maybe I could help you with the Ella situation,' said Eduardo, 'if you want me to.'

'What do _you_ know about the Ella situation?'

'Only the gist of it, but I think I might know where you're coming from.'

Kevin returned with the drinks and sat down in an armchair, where he ate and drank in silence. When Pagan came and stood on his lap and tried to eat the chicken out of his hand, Kevin dropped a piece onto the floor, and Pagan jumped down after it in delight.

'I think maybe you cling on to Ella so tightly because you're afraid of losing her,' Eduardo was saying. 'You think she's so unbelievably awesome, you can't understand why she wants to be with you. Maybe you even worry she made a mistake – thinks you're something you're not – and someday she'll see that, and then she'll leave you. Is that about right?'

'Well,' Michael said uncomfortably, 'I guess, kinda.'

'But she's seen you at your worst, hasn't she?' Eduardo went on. 'She's seen you doing bad things – things that I know you're ashamed of now. And she didn't leave you then, did she?'

Michael shrugged, and said, 'She almost did a couple times.'

'Yeah, but she didn't, because even when you were at your worst, she saw the good in you. So why should she leave you now?'

'I don't know,' Michael mumbled. 'Because... because she's too good for me! She's the most amazing girl I've ever met... I ever _will_ meet... but I'm just the same old jerk I always was!'

'You're not, Mike,' said Kevin, who was allowing Pagan to lick his fingers.

'The thing is, Michael,' said Eduardo, 'you can't _make_ someone stay with you. If she ever wants to leave you, she will. Maybe you'll never stop finding it hard to believe that she wants to be with you... maybe you'll live your whole life scared of losing what you have... or maybe someday you'll start to relax and think maybe she really does love you in spite of your faults. But if you _are_ scared of losing her, trying to force her to stay is the fastest way of making it happen. You get me?'

'Yeah, I get you,' said Michael. 'I thought maybe you were gonna give me the metaphor about racehorses and loosening the reins and stuff.'

'Well,' said Eduardo, 'that's kind of a cliché now, but it's a very true one.'

'That's right, it is,' said Kevin, who now had Pagan purring on his lap and was stroking his exposed underbelly. 'I mean, look at Pagan. I'm not restraining him, and he _wants_ to be with me.'

'That's because you gave him chicken,' Michael said sceptically.

'Well, sure,' said Kevin. 'Just like you give Ella love and support and charm bracelets and whatever else you give her. But if I do _this_...'

Kevin then proceeded to lift Pagan into his arms and hold him tightly against his chest. Pagan looked miffed, put up with it for a moment, then wriggled free and trotted out of the room.

'Sorry, Pagan,' Kevin called after him, 'but we really need to get back to school soon. I'll help you clean up first, Uncle Eduardo.'

'Yeah, me too,' said Michael, jumping up and picking up the chicken bucket. 'I don't think I'll go to school this afternoon, Kev. I think I'll find someplace to get Ella's bracelet fixed.'

'Are you sure, Mike?' said Kevin. 'You missed a lot of classes already trying to avoid her.'

'Sure I'm sure,' said Michael. 'It's only school, dude.'

* * *

Michael was waiting at the gates after school. When he saw Ella with the rest of the gang, he signalled for her to go to him.

'Look, Ella, Michael wants you,' said Lucy.

'I'll bet he does,' Ella said darkly.

'Aren't you going to go over to him?' asked Jandro.

'I don't see why I should, just because he's waving,' said Ella. 'I'm not a dog.'

'Oh, come on, Ella,' said Kevin. 'You said you'd listen if he came to you and apologised.'

'Maybe he's not _going_ to apologise,' said Ella.

'Well,' said Oscar, 'you won't know if you don't go and find out,' and he gave her a light shove.

Ella scowled at him over her shoulder, then took a deep breath and walked towards Michael.

'I'm really sorry, Ella,' Michael said at once.

'You are, huh?' said Ella. 'For what?'

'For being jealous and possessive. I know I don't own you. I never really wanted to _own_ you – just have you with me. I still want that, but I realise now that I can't force you to stay with me, and it was wrong of me to try. But if you want to be with me, Ella... well, that'd just make me so happy.'

'Oh, Mike,' said Ella, her steely expression melting away. 'You _know_ I want to be with you.'

'Then are we back together?' Michael asked eagerly. 'I won't be possessive anymore, I promise.'

'I believe you,' said Ella, flinging her arms around him, and they kissed deeply. Some yards away Kevin, Lucy, Oscar and Jandro all whooped loudly. Ella turned round and made a face at them.

'I got your charm bracelet fixed,' said Michael, taking a step back from Ella and reaching into his jacket pocket. 'I hope you'll take it back.'

'Of course I will,' said Ella. 'Did I break it yesterday? I'm sorry, Mikey.'

'Don't be sorry,' he said, handing her the bracelet. 'I got a new charm for it too. See there?'

'Yes, I see,' said Ella. 'It's the Beast.'

'Yeah,' said Michael. 'I like that one, because the girl falls in love with him even though he's kind of a jerk to start off with. That's right, isn't it?'

'Yes, Mike,' said Ella, smiling as she fastened the bracelet onto her wrist. 'That's exactly it.'


End file.
